I am in the middle of reading a three volume set called, “The Life and Works of Joseph Kinghorn.” Volume 1 is biographical, illustrated with the letters between Joseph and his father, Pastor David Kinghorn. The son, Joseph, was born in 1766. When he was fourteen he became an apprentice clerk at a white lead company. Not knowing what that was, I looked it up. These were the people who began poisoning thousands of children by making lead-based paint. That was not their intention. They didn’t know the dangers at the time. A year later, while still away from home the Lord saved the soul of fifteen-year-old Joseph Kingman.
Beginning on his next birthday and for the following fifty years he transcribed a birthday prayer into his journal. On January 17, 1782 young Joseph Kingman prayed and recorded these words. “O Lord God Almighty, I would desire at this time to be thankful to thee, the giver of all good, in that thou hast preserved me hitherto, and made me a monument of thy sparing mercy, Yet how few returns have I made to thee. How many sins have I committed, and how justly mightest thou have punished me with eternal vengeance. But thy tender mercies are over all thy works; Sixteen years have I been preserved of thee… I humbly beg that thou wouldest shine upon me more and more, and subdue all my sins, and may I be more conformed to thy glorious image, and may the whole course of my life be perfecting holiness in the fear of thee… Here, O Lord, would I surrender myself and my all, entirely to thy care and fatherly disposal… Bless me, O Lord, this year, and as long as thou continuest me here, may I live only to thy glory, may I be blest in soul and body, in things spiritual and temporal, and Lord, now I am thine, here would I devote myself to thee, in witness of which, I would here sign myself, Joseph Kinghorn.” Remember these are the words of a sixteen-year-old, new believer in Christ. How many of us older Christians do these words put to shame?
Five days later, Joseph received a letter from his father which said in part: “You desire to know my ideas concerned what kind of bliss the saints enjoy in Heaven. To this I must say, whatever ideas I have, they must be imperfect; for we see in part and know but in part – And then he quoted a poem: ‘Of things in Heaven or of things below, what can we reason, but from what we know?’ – Alexander Pope.” David Kinghorn then gave his son a bare bones, six point outline describing what God’s saints will enjoy in Heaven, taking up less than a page of this book.
I rarely use the sermon outlines of other people – as must be blatantly obvious to most of you. But this morning, despite changing the language just a bit – alliterating and clarifying – I’d like to use Kinghorn’s six points. Also, I don’t often preach about Heaven, because as Kinghorn says, there is so much mystery about it. And yet, Heaven is in the future of the Christian, so we ought to know a bit about it. But further, I think that today’s saints need, first and foremost, to think about serving God today. There is far too much time and energy wasted on speculations about the Millennium, the Tribulation, and even on Heaven. But that poetry by Pope, is a part of my reason for pushing forward. “Of things in Heaven or of things below, what can we reason, but from what we know?” And a part of what we know is revealed to us here in our Acts 7 text. As martyr Stephen was dying he was given a glimpse of Heaven. He didn’t see angels, or streets of gold; he didn’t see Moses or Elijah. All he could see was the Son of God, his Saviour, standing next to the throne of God the Father.
Here also is something else we can know: If someone today, doesn’t care about these six things which the saints will enjoy in Heaven, then what hope is there that person will even be in Heaven after his death? Why should anyone think they will spent eternity in Heaven, escaping Hell, when today they love the things of Hell and despise what they will enjoy in Heaven? There is a sense in which the six things I hope to share with you this morning, are things that, to some degree, ought to be in our lives right now. Check with your heart this morning to see if there is at the very least a little spark of each of these.
Before going farther, father Kinghorn also pointed out: “I need not take notice of negative ideas, such as freedom from pain, sickness, sin, sorrow, temptation, affliction, persecution and such like. Because death would free us from these, (even) supposing there were no future happiness to be enjoyed.” Wasn’t it Solomon who said that there are ways in which there is no difference between the death of a dog and the death of a human being, or between the death of a righteous person and the death of the wicked? This life we have today, along with all its physical aspects – both good and bad – will come to an end in the grave. We will have “freedom from pain, sickness, sin, sorrow, temptation, affliction, persecution and such like.” But there are spiritual things which go on for eternity – bliss for the saint and judgment for the wicked.
What kind of bliss will God’s saints enjoy in Heaven?
I am going to start with Kingman’s last point, because I think it is only incidental.
He said that Heaven will be a happy place, because we’ll finally get to fellowship with God’s angels. While this might be silly as an argument, of course, it is also true. Off and on down through history some of God’s saints have been visited by angels. And Hebrews 13 exhorts us: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” If WE have entertained angels, we haven’t known it, and we haven’t enjoyed the possibilities.
But also, not only haven’t we enjoyed those possibilities, we haven’t known all those angels have been doing for us. God has an innumerable company of angelic creatures who have been ministering to the saints. In fact, you may have an angel of God specifically assigned to watch over you. Psalm 91:11 says, “God shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” And Hebrews 1:14 adds – “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” There is coming a day – a soon-coming eternity in Heaven – when we might have an opportunity to know and to speak with the angels who have blessed us during our years here on earth.
But while those angelic conversations may be happy conversations they will not compare with greater things.
God’s saints will enjoy a PERFECT and personal FELLOWSHIP with their Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
We may know the Lord today, and we may pray and talk with Him in the midst of our earthly joys and sorrows. But remember what the apostle said to his Philippian friends: He said, “I enjoy introducing needy sinners to the Saviour, and I enjoy my ministry with you – “ “To abide in the flesh is more needful for you…” “Continuing with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith” are things which thrill and complete me. So “I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be WITH Christ; which is FAR better.” There will be nothing better for the saint of God than to leave his earthly loved ones and to look into the face of the One who loved him beyond all others.
Most, if not all man’s false religions teach some form of purgatory or temporary soulish holding cell before cracking open the door to whatever kind of Heaven they teach. That is not Biblical doctrine; that is not what the Bible tells us. The Lord Jesus told the wicked, but believing man, who was dying next to him of the cross: “Today thou shalt be with me in paradise.” There are three words in that declaration which are worthy of emphasis. There is “today.” In just a few minutes you are going to leave this world with all it is pain and death. And there is the word “paradise,” which is filled with a million wonderful thoughts. But then there is the word probably least often considered in the context – Jesus said, “Me.” That dying, repentant, believer was going to be with his Saviour after just a few more minutes of pain. I guarantee that man wasn’t thinking about Heavenly crowns, ten stringed harps and glorious angels. He was thinking, “Today, I am going to be with my Saviour.”
Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” Once again, a lot of good Christians, emphasize the words, “We are confident,” and we should be. And of course, my point is that we will INSTANTLY be with our Saviour, the Lord Jesus. But let’s not skip over the word “willing.” “We are confident, I say, and WILLING … to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” That word “willing” is most often translated in the Bible – “well pleased.” Essentially, Paul was saying that he couldn’t have been more excited about being with His Saviour.
And what is it that we shall see, when we see our Saviour on the other side? What did Peter, James and John see when they were on the mountain when Jesus’ was transfigured? They saw Christ in His true glory, with His temporary human flesh stripped away. They saw the Son of Man in His true glory as the Son of God. And they were so overcome with the sight they hardly knew what to do or say. That is what we shall see in Heaven.
In John 17, when Jesus was in private prayer, He said, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me…” As a kind of illustration, the Holy Spirit gave us the account of the Queen of Sheba’s visit with Solomon. After she had seen Solomon’s “Heaven,” and after she had spent time with that picture of Christ, she said: “Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne… “Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom” – I Kings 10. Those servants of Solomon may have been happy men and women, but their joy can’t hold a candle to the joy Christ’s servants will have in His Heavenly presence for all eternity.
If Heaven is going to be all about Christ Jesus, the Son of God, shouldn’t you have a little excitement about Him today? What makes you think Heaven will be Heaven to you, if you care nothing about the King and Star of Heaven? Look inside that heart of yours and see if there is any Heaven there?
A corollary to the joy of knowing Christ is the joy of our more perfect knowledge of God the Father. I’m not even hinting that we will ever know all there is to know about the infinite God; that is an impossibility. But the Bible seems to suggest that our knowledge of God will continue and expand throughout eternity. God is big enough to occupy our hearts and minds for all eternity. Jesus described eternal life in John 17:3 – “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” Heaven is where we will spend our eternity – and there we will begin to know the only true God.
Kingman’s fourth suggestion was that Heaven is going to be the PERFECTION of HOLINESS.
When the Apostle John was given a glimpse into Heaven, he described several things we don’t have time to fully consider today. He described a holy city decked out like a bride for her husband. He talked about God wiping away all tears, and the final end of death and pain. Then he gave us a description of the size and beauty of that place. “And I saw no temple therein; for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun… for the glory of God did lighen it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. Then in the last verse of the penultimate chapter of the Bible, John says, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Heaven will be a place of perfect holiness. There will be no abominable sins, no moral defilement, no deception of any kind. The author of the Book of Hebrews tells us in 12:14 that “without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.” Heaven will be all about being with the Lord, seeing the Lord, enjoying the Lord, and therefore holiness will be a necessity. And it won’t be a sometimes holiness, a virtual holiness, a weak and pusillanimous holiness. It will PERFECT HOLINESS, just as He is perfectly holy. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” – I John 3.
We live in a world full of misery and woe. The sorrows of this world were not found in the Garden of Eden. What has brought on all the pain we experience today? Why is there death? What is cause of today’s hatred? There is a one word source – SIN in all its various forms. “When lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” – James 1.
Heaven will be a place of perfect holiness because the Lord will strip creation of every sin. And that takes us back to our initial question, and the title of this message. What kind of bliss will the saints enjoy in Heaven? What will be the happiness of Heaven? There will be the happiness of absolute holiness.
So once again, before leaving this point: what is your attitude toward sin and toward holiness? Do you think you could survive a day without sin in your life? Do you strive to be holy and sinless? No? Then what makes you think you deserve a single moment in Heaven? You have nothing but Hell to look forward to.
Heaven’s happiness will be linked to our PERFECT LOVE for CHRIST.
How much of the happiness you have today is linked to things you love? Perhaps you are happiest when you are at home with your family – your loved ones. Maybe you love hiking or fishing. If so, aren’t you happier doing these things than working in the salt mine? I was talking with Austin Friday, the weather in Colorado was keeping him from working that morning. He told me that unlike the last couple of years, he is much happier working down there this year. The key to that happiness is that he is also still ministering God’s Word, still preaching and teaching. This year he doesn’t feel as though he’s abandoning the work to which God has called him, because he is being a blessing to one of God’s churches there. My point is: isn’t it true that generally speaking our happiness is directly related to the things we love?
When the Apostle Peter was writing his first epistle, both he and his readers were being persecuted. To encourage them he wrote: “The trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” When we eventually receive the end of our faith, and we begin to enjoy the conclusion of our salvation, we will see the One who loved us from the foundation of the world. And seeing Him face to face – the One whom we love, because he first loved us – will fill us with unspeakable joy. Heaven will be filled with indescribable, unspeakable joy, because our love will be fully satisfied
Also, Heaven will be a place of happiness because of the PERFECTION of our KNOWLEDGE.
I don’t think any of us have begun to understand the fully meaning of “salvation.” Despite Paul’s prayer, I am sure that we’ve not grasped what is the depth, breadth, length and height of the love the Lord has for us. And “glory?” Do we have any idea what God’s glory really entails? As I said a few minutes ago, John was trying to describe Heaven – but he was using earthly terms. I don’t think he touched the hem of the garment, talking about gold, pearls and light.
There are scriptures which tie together God and wisdom. I would never say that “wisdom is God,” but God certainly is wisdom. Again, Austin brought up the subject of God’s wisdom the other day. He said that a few years ago, he couldn’t see certain things which he sees today. And he’d never have made certain decisions, but God took them out of his hands. And now looking back they make perfect sense.
I can’t dogmatically say that we will spend much Heavenly time considering our past earthly lives. But it is possible that we will be given the ability to look back on the work of providence in our lives. We will be able to see the hand of God stopping us from going in one direction and taking us in another which we didn’t really want to take at the time. We will see how one blessing produced two others. And we’ll also see how one period of pain, produced blessings in the lives of three or four other people.
This might not be a fair question under the circumstances: But if in the happiness of Heaven, we look back on God’s wisdom in leading us, why aren’t we happy with that leadership now, when it is taking place? If we are filled with grumbling, murmuring, complaining and even rebellion against God’s directions, as were the Israelites in the wilderness, how can we be joyful in God’s directions once we get to Heaven? If Heaven contains a joy in God’s wisdom, what should we think about someone who hates God’s wisdom today?
Conclusion:
Having laid all this foundation, I ask you once again: Do you have any interest in any of these things? Has this message been a boring waste of time for you? Do you care at all whether or not you ever speak to an angel of the Lord? Do you think that a conversation with a demon might be more interesting and exciting? Do you yearn for that day when your flesh will be transformed into something more glorious and your sinfulness will be changed into holiness? Then why isn’t your interest in that sort of thing alive today? Have you, by the grace of God, been given a deed for an estate in Heaven?